The new blog is up and running!!

I could not be more delighted with my new and improved site! I will only be blogging on one blog now so everything from Reluctant Quilter and Suzan's Little Nest have been moved over to the new site. My posts will all be catagorized to make searching for a particular topic much easier. I know nothing about Wordpress so this will be a learning experience for me as I move forward. So far, so good!

I cannot begin to thank the lovely and talented, Brandy Fishback, for all that she did to make this a reality. It is so easy working with Brandy. Sometimes I think she is a mind reader! If you have any graphic design needs from a logo or a site transfer from Blogger to Wordpress, Brandy is the one to contact. If you need help setting up a Facebook business page or an Etsy storefront, Brandy can help you do that as well. 

Let me know what you think about my new "look"!

My reasoning for moving everything to one blog is that I am more than just the Reluctant Quilter or the lady who makes purses or the crazy lady living in her crooked little house. Putting everything under one umbrella makes it easier for me to blog. I would appreciate your changing your blog reader to the new address and follow me at:

Hazelnutdeux.com

Thank you for all your support over the years! 

Picnic Time! (Also posted to Hazelnutdeux.com)

pic·nic

  [pik-nik] 

noun

1.

an excursion or outing in which the participants carry food with them and share a meal in 

the openair.

Because I am single, my picnic was a little different than many others that you will read about in the hop this week. My picnic was a solitary meal enjoying the beauty of a early evening in the backyard.

For my picnic, I made a small quilt that is perfect for throwing over a picnic table or down on a lawn. I made it with a variety of vintage sheets that I have been collecting for several years. I used flannel as my batting and did a "quilt as you go" method to put it all together. For the backing, I used another vintage sheet which I also used for the binding.

My picnic meal was a lovely piece of grilled salmon topped with pesto sauce accompanied by a side of quinoa salad. The fresh flavors were perfect!

Here is the recipe I used for the salad. It can be found on Allrecipes.com.

1 c. quinoa                                                       1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 c. water                                                         1-1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil                               1-15oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed

Juice of 2 limes                                                5 green onions finely chopped

2 tsp. of ground cumin                                     1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp. salt                                                         Salt and pepper to taste

1.      Bring quinoa and water to boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook until quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

2.      Whisk olive oil, lime juice, cumin, 1 tsp. salt and red pepper flakes together in a bowl.

3.      Combine quinoa, black beans, tomatoes and green onions together in a bowl. Pour dressing over quinoa and toss to coat. Stir in cilantro and salt and pepper. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Thank you so much for stopping by. As a little something extra, I thought I would do a drawing. Please leave a comment and let me know if you would like to be entered. I will be sending out 40 - 10" squares of vintage sheets so that you can get started on your own vintage sheet picnic quilt! (Please remember to include your email address if you are a "no reply" blogger.)

Be sure to check out the other blogs on the hop today:

Sew Incredibly Crazy

How Art You?

Grammie Q's

I Piece 2 - Mary

Pig Tales and Quilts

The full line up of all the blogs participating can be found at Mary's blog.

Happy picnicking this summer!!

***Edited 6/9/14 - Comments are closed***